1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the preparation of catalytically active surfaces and, more specifically, to the preparation of ruthenium black surfaces for use in wet oxidation process.
2. Brief Description of Prior Art
The use of catalysts in various chemical reactions is well known. Typically, the catalysts are supported on suitable solid substrates, are themselves solids and used without a substrate or are soluble in the liquid phase reaction medium. Solid or substrate supported catalysts suffer from the disadvantage that if the catalyst becomes deactivated due to poisoning, temperature upsets or the like, it is generally necessary to remove the catalyst charge from the reactor and either rejuvenate the catalyst by treatment or supply a fresh catalyst charge. In the case of soluble catalysts, it is often necessary that the reaction product leaving the reactor be processed to separate the catalyst for reuse in the reaction lest the catalyst be continuously expended.
In wet oxidation processes used to treat organic waste materials derived from the chemical, paper and sewage treatment industries, noble metal based catalysts have been employed. Thus, for example, catalysts employing rhodium, platinum or ruthenium are used. However, in the usual wet oxidation processes, the noble metal catalysts are used in the manner described above, e.g., in some form deposited on a suitable substrate or in a soluble form in the reaction mixture. Accordingly, such catalyzed wet oxidation processes suffer from the disadvantages described above in regard to catalyst poisioning, loss of activity, etc.